New Data on Gender Inequality in Sciences Salaries

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Report in November issue of Physics Today magazine explores ways to close the gender pay gap and open the door for women in physics

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 1, 2017 -- There is a difference between male and female physics faculty salaries and the culture of physics is partly to blame, according to an article that is available for free this month from Physics Today, the world's most influential and closely followed magazine devoted to physics and the physical sciences community.

The article, "Salaries for female physics faculty trail those for male colleagues," identifies key factors influencing the gender pay gap and offers potential solutions that include changes in the culture in physics departments. The article is available at https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.3760.

What the unpublished data show is that female faculty members in physics have lower salaries compared to their equally qualified male colleagues. "The model says that if we have two people who are identical in every way, the woman will make, on average, 6 percent less than the man," said Susan White, assistant director of SRC, quoted in the Physics Today article.

The National Academies' study also found that there were inequities between men and women. Massachusetts Institute of Technology astronomer Claude Canizares, who co-chaired the study, explained that while universities do not purposely discriminate against women and minorities, inequities nevertheless persist.

According to the Physics Today article, other studies and observations support the data, with two key reasons for the gender gap disparity. First, women are less aggressive in their salary negotiations and also less likely to ask for a raise during their tenure at an institution. The second reason comes from the fact that men are overrepresented in some scientific fields, which introduces an implicit bias in university departments.

"Boys in the department give money to boys in the department,” said a senior researcher quoted anonymously in the Physics Today article.

To close the pay gap, MIT Professor Emerita Nancy Hopkins suggests that senior female faculty members need to serve on the hiring, promotion and editorial boards that are positions of power at most universities.

Efforts must also include male support to promote women and minorities in science. “It’s hard to break a glass ceiling by banging your head on it from below," Canizares said. "It’s easier to break it from above with a sledge hammer."

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ABOUT PHYSICS TODAY

Physics Today is the flagship publication of the American Institute of Physics, and it includes a mix of in-depth feature articles, news coverage and analysis, and fresh perspectives on scientific advances and ground-breaking research. See http://www.physicstoday.org.

ABOUT SRC

AIP’s Statistical Research Center collects, analyzes and disseminates data on education and employment in physics and related fields.

ABOUT AIP

The American Institute of Physics is a federation of scientific societies in the physical sciences, representing scientists, engineers, and educators. AIP offers authoritative information, services, and expertise in physics education and student programs, science communication, government relations, career services for science and engineering professionals, statistical research in physics employment and education, industrial outreach, and the history of physics and allied fields. AIP publishes Physics Today, the most influential and closely followed magazine of the physics community, and is also home to the Society of Physics Students and the Niels Bohr Library and Archives. AIP owns AIP Publishing LLC, a scholarly publisher in the physical and related sciences. See: http://www.aip.org.

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For More Information:Julia Majorsmedia [at] aip.org301-209-3090@AIPPhysicsNews

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